City/State: Ringgold

Brain Injury: At 16, I was lifting weights and had a brain aneurysm followed by 3 strokes.  I live with an inoperable blood clot in my neck.  Everything in life takes more energy;  I feel like I’ve aged forty years.  Therapy and the Vocational Re-Entry program helped me regain many skills and find employment.  I work at the front desk of Siskin Hospital where I greet and direct visitors and answer the telephone.

Explanation of Mask: My mask is about the loneliness that comes when old friends are leading different lives and your never see them again.  I am grateful, though, and I feel blessed.  I know I am a kinder person now, and I am hopeful about the future.